Plough - Works and Types of plough

 Plough is an essential machinery and plays a very crucial role in preparing the land for seed sowing. Traditionally plough was made up of the wooden frame and was drawn by oxen or horses, but nowadays all the plough are made of steel or iron and is driven or pulled with tractor power.

 

Types of ploughs

 

Different types of ploughs are designed and used in different kinds of farming operations based on their features. Here we have mentioned about the most used or most popular types of plough such as disc plough, mould-board plough, reversible mould-board plough in detail.

After the invention of different types of tractors with powerful engines, the ploughing methods and techniques also changed with the generation of various types of ploughs.

 

Disc Plough

 

It is used for deep ploughing in soil by cutting, breaking, mixing and loosening the soil. It consists two to five or more individually mounted disc blades that work even in hard, trashy and stony areas.

 

Tractor Mounted Mould-board Plough

 

The tractor mould-board plough consists of large curved bottoms, known as mould-board that are fixed to a frame, shears located on the bottom of the moldboard while large curved wings on the top edge. The key purpose of using this kind of plough is to cut through the top layers of soil and thoroughly modify the soil structure to make a seedbed.

 

Reversible plough or Reversible Mould-board Plough

 

The reversible mould-board plough is basically used to turn the soil up and down which is important in the tillage process in order to bring fresh nutrient-rich soil upward. Moreover, it is also used to bury the weeds and previous crop residue so that they do not complete for the nutrition provided to the new crop. The reversible plough consumes less fuel and therefore, is considered more efficient for the farm.

 

Ploughing is an essential activity which is done using different types of plough to increase the fertility of the soil yet it is important for farmers to choose the right one among so many available varieties.

Combine Harvester Machine – Uses and Advantages

A combine harvester is versatile harvesting equipment and also helps in reducing lots of time and costs associated with harvesting. A combine machine is able to perform all the harvesting steps automatically by driving it into the crop field as it cuts, threshes and separates the grains by using its rotating blades, sieves, wheels and elevators.

 

The grain is gathered in the tank inside the combine, whereas the stalks drop down on the through the pipe. The combine is quite complex that includes different parts and processes. Different grains require different types of headers, which is generally placed at the front of the combine. It cuts the crops with a wide cutting tool to start further processes such as threshing and cleaning the grain. Here is a brief about the process:

 

·         Header churns in the field to collect the crop

·         A reel drives the crop into the cutter, running along the cutter bar

·         The cutter snips the crop at its base

·         Crops are fed into the threshing drum to worn out the crops and shake grains free

·         The grains fall through sieves into a gathering tank

·         Unwanted material is passed back of the combine and falls back into the field

·         Grain yields are conveyed up an elevator and shoot out unloaded into a trailer

 

The adoption of combine harvester in the past few years has brought a drastic change in the production of crops worldwide. The requirement of human labour is reduced considerably. Mechanization of the farm operations not only has helped in increasing the production but also created a good scope for commercialization in agri-sector. Farm mechanization also increased the employment opportunities, both on farms and in related sectors by increasing farm area under ploughing, cropping, growth of agro-industries and other related services.

 

On the other hand, because of the mechanization, demand has also increased for semi-skilled labour like a mechanic to maintain farm machines. A combine harvester is very expensive farm equipment that needs to take good care from the starting, with service and maintenance on time. Thus a very important fact to keep in mind for farmers and owners before they buy it, is the cost with all the maintenance and storage. Buying a combine harvester can be a good deal for those farmers that grow different types of grains on their farms all through the year.